Family Guy is one of those wonderfully divisive shows. It's immensely popular, and people are either die-hard fans or simply don't like it. I've never met a "casual" Family Guy watcher. Over the past two Sundays, the show continues to prove why. The most recent two episodes have been some of the best of the entire series. One of the complaints about the show since its return this summer is the heavier focus on sketch and site gags and de-emphasis on plot - but let's be serious. That's what works in the show. "Like the time I..." and other such flashbacks/cutaways/random sidetracks have always been the funniest bits.

What the last two episodes have really nailed is integrating all that into a decent plot that carries well over 25 minutes. Another one of the great things about Family Guy is its shout-outs to the fans; the only other show I've seen do this as well is Arrested Development (and the geniuses at Fox are killing that one before this season's over). Last night there were plenty of teases for some of the show's recurring long-winded gags (Peter on the ground grabbing his knee, "Ahhh..") that only lasted a moment - just long enough. They've also been over-extending their bits, which is an old trick for the FG crowd, but they're going longer and more often (though I thought last week's Osama tape outtakes ran way too long).

It's obvious that Seth McFarlane & co. didn't forget about the show during the extended hiatus between seasons three and four - and so far this month they've proved the show is as sharp as ever. If they keep up this steam (and so far indications seem to suggest they will) Family Guy will only increase its status as one of the best animated shows of all time.